MONDAY FEBRUARY 22
Chair of Saint Peter the Apostle

Let us reflect on the meaning of today’s feast through the words of Pope Benedict XVI: “The Latin Liturgy celebrates today the feast of the Chair of Saint Peter. This is a very ancient tradition, attested in Rome since the fourth century, by which God is thanked for the mission entrusted to the Apostle Peter and his successors. The ‘chair,’ literally, is the Bishop’s fixed seat, located in the mother church of a Diocese, which for this reason is called a ‘cathedral’; it is the symbol of the Bishop’s authority and, in particular, of his ‘magisterium,’ that is, the evangelical teaching which, as successor of the Apostles, he is called to safeguard and transmit to the Christian Community. When the Bishop takes possession of the particular Church entrusted to him, he sits on the chair, wearing the mitre and carrying the pastoral staff. From that seat he will guide, as teacher and shepherd, the journey of the faithful in faith, hope and charity. […] Celebrating the ‘Chair’ of Peter, as we do today, therefore means attributing to it a profound spiritual significance and recognizing in it a privileged sign of the love of God, the good and eternal Shepherd, who wishes to gather his entire Church and guide it along the path of salvation. Among the many testimonies of the Fathers, I would like to quote that of Saint Jerome, taken from one of his letters written to the Bishop of Rome, particularly interesting because it explicitly refers to Peter’s ‘chair,’ presenting it as a sure haven of truth and peace. Jerome writes: ‘I have decided to consult the chair of Peter, where that faith is found which the mouth of an Apostle has exalted; I now come to ask for nourishment for my soul there, where I once received the garment of Christ. I follow no other primacy than that of Christ; for this reason I place myself in communion with your beatitude, that is, with the chair of Peter. I know that the Church is built upon this rock’ (The Letters I, 15, 1-2)” (General Audience, February 22, 2006).

For further reading:
• With Living Water – Daily Liturgy of the Hours. January-February 2021
• On Your Word – Missal. January-February 2021

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 27
Saint Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows

Francesco Possenti, born in Assisi in 1838, is an intelligent young man, sensitive to others and their suffering, cheerful, fond of dancing, and elegant. After a series of family bereavements, he experiences a profound existential crisis. This emptiness is filled by the voice of the Mother: on August 22, 1856, during the procession, when the image of Our Lady of the cathedral passes before him, clear words resound in his heart: «Francesco, what are you doing in the world? Follow your vocation!». At the age of 18, the young man enters the Passionist novitiate in Morrovalle (Macerata) and takes the name Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows, making a radical choice, characteristic of those who love: long hours of prayer, frequent fasting, and penances help him keep his spirit immersed in God’s and carry out humble daily tasks with great love: «God does not look at how much, but at how», he often repeats. «My life is a continuous joy», he would write to his father. He dies of tuberculosis at the age of 24, peacefully surrendered to God’s will and in Mary’s arms. Even today, the “Saint of the Smile” attracts thousands of young people to his shrine, located in Isola del Gran Sasso d’Italia, in the province of Teramo.

For further reading:
• The Smile of God. Saint Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows